Natural hair care
Now that I have time to plan a natural hair care regime, I thought I’d share my outline for my hair.
Shampoo is pretty much a detergent, created as it works in both hard and soft water due to the alkaline waters most of us have flowing through out pipes. It strips the hair of all it’s protective oils, making it frizzy, weak, and dull. This hair is unmanageable, and we employ conditioner and other hair care products to offset the damage of daily shampooing. All of these products, including shampoo, are full of chemicals that we absorb through the pores in our skin, which are especially large when we’ve been basking under the flow of luxurious hot water.
Baking soda is a natural alternative to shampoo, and is effective in gently removing oil buildup from hair. The most common way I’ve heard it used is to simply dilute it in water and store it in a bottle in the bathroom for use as you would a shampoo. For conditioner, apple cider vinegar works well. It’s best to pour warm water on your hair first, pour the vinegar mixture on the end half of your hair, and then rinse with colder water to seal your hair cuticles. The standard ratio of baking soda and apple cider vinegar for water is 1 tablespoon per cup.
To add shine to my hair, I usually rinse it with tea. I’ve found my hair loves green tea with a hint of chamomile, but experiment. Some people prefer black tea over green on their hair. If you’re going to rinse with tea, rinse out the apple cider vinegar with warm water instead of cold, and douse your hair with cold tea, and then rinse lightly with cold water. The cold tea gets into your hair and closes the cuticle, leaving it shiny. A light rinse with some clean cold water just rinses off any tea that is sitting on top of your hair follicle.
To prevent split ends, I rub a tiny bit of oil on the tips of my hair. I have long hair, which means split ends are abundant if one is not vigilant. I’ve found that shea butter oil, sunflower oil, and coconut oil works wonderfully as they’re all very light (the shea butter is a tiny bit heavier, which works well if you have wavy or curly hair.)
My hair is naturally very straight, so when I want some extra shine and volume I spritz it with some warm, flat beer which works as a light mousse, and dries with no smell! In addition the malts and hops in the beer are beneficial for your hair, and it’s so lightweight that it doesn’t weigh down your hair while trying to volumize it.
Similar articles and references you may be interested in:
- Simple Mom: How to Clean Your Hair Without Shampoo
- Kanelstrand: Natural Alternatives to Toxic Shampoo
- Naturally Curly: Use Hair Rinses When Going Shampoo-Free
- Venusian Glow: Beer Hair Rinse




